There’s a subject heading for that!?: the best defense is verbal

22Nov

In time for the holidays is another great subject heading:

verbal self-defense

Maybe it’s a big holiday myth that when families get together, fights break out. Thankfully this isn’t the case with my family. For those who have this problem, there are a couple of solutions that come to mind–either don’t spend the holidays together or, with the help of LC, have a strong verbal defense.

This is one of those subject headings that I stumbled upon and though, “huh.” You, too, can be a word-ninja by defending yourself with your words.

What’s the purpose for this sub. head.? Seems to me like it’s missing the obvious debating. Excuse me while I go on a hunt! Cataloger on a mission here–where’s that filed?

Stumbling down a massive rabbit hole in search of “debate”/'”debating” (don’t worry, it’s safely tucked away as “debates and debating”–phew!), here are some more gems: oral pleading, forensic orations, voice culture, debate poetry, occasional speeches, and Chautauquas (under “lectures and lecturing” if you are playing along).

One last jog back to the authorities and LC catalog…hmm, what about an arguments and arguing then? Nope. It’s never quite that simple, is it? Apparently you get any of the plethora above and related terms already discussed in this post for the various verbalizations of life, but not arguments and arguing–it’s just not nice, don’t do it. Argumentation is tucked under “verbal self-defense”, as we have seen, but it’s also lurking under “reasoning” as well, along with “ratiocination” in case you were looking for that.

I originally picked this subject heading for it’s oddity but as I dug into it writing this post, it’s clear that I’ve uncovered a massive grave of worms. Just in time for the holidays! So train yourself to become a word-ninja but please, don’t hurt anyone, especially family during the holidays. Just be prepared, and enjoy!